THE PRIVATE CHEF W/ SHAQUAY

Shaquay is a private chef and graduate of Johnston & Wales University who she wanted to be since the age of five. The cultivation of that itty-bitty dream has led her to water and groom the seed her younger self planted. I have the honor of sharing my conversation with Shaquay and what I learned not only about the blueprint of her career but about the architect that made it all real. She’s traveled around the world, cooked for very hungry and influential people at the Met Museum and The New York Times, directed a staff of 60+ chefs and she’s run an entire fine dining restaurant before she turned 25. And while all of that may seem very impressive nothing impresses me more than the consistent and intentional steps she’s taken to get where she is now. In my first profile of the inspired career paths of real women I share the journey of Chef Shaquay Peacock, a woman who affirms the importance of honoring your truest self and taking risks and a 5 year old very (very) seriously. 

I hope you are inspired by Shaquay’s journey and that her story confirms for you that the little girl that’s growing up inside of you is and will forever be your best boss ever. 

Plus! Don't forget to check out Shaqauy's recipe for a quick and easy “Chocolate Coconut Mousse”, made entirely out of avocados. Yeah, I know! Thanks 'Quay! :)

HI SHAQUAY!

Shaquay snuck me into some down time she had before an amazing freelancing gig that hit all my senses. She's currently the chef for an experiential play. 

An entire brownstone on the lower east side was “converted” into a real world set for a theatrical performance where the home is the stage and a featured character Shaquay’s culinary art. The audience travels up floor by floor for each scene and seemingly get to eaves drop. They watch the characters live’s play out while eating the same meals the actors eat, scene by scene, course by course. I know, it’s low key dinner and a movie on TEN! The meals are planned and prepared fresh for each performance every single night by Shaquay and the staff she leads and it’s projects like these (and working in a winery for a month!) she has the flexibility to take on after quitting her corporate job. Of course these level of chef and freedom goals didn’t just come over night, it took some prepping and planning and powerful self sorcery to get here. Shaquay has been passionate and intentional about her path for a long time and talking to her makes that very clear, it’s her laser focus, her ability to take risk that helped her reclaim her time.

She’s still as sweet and calm as I remember her in high school and I always appreciate when good people are still good people when you meet them back around the bend. It says a lot when over time you realize how life can change you and you see someone who hasn’t let it. Even though we spoke through the magical connection that is a landline, it passed through the energy of all the things you’ll read ahead about Shaquay. Soft spoken but with bursts of energy, I could tell she knew her stuff and took it seriously. Then there’s also this magical way she gave me a tour through her career journey like giving a tour through a doll house that she’s built. It makes perfect sense when you think about it. She has. And she knows each and every piece of it so there I imagine there being equal parts pride, joy and amazement at seeing it all come to life.

PLANTED.

Less than 30 years ago little Shaquay was following friends and family around their kitchen’s begging to help out with any and everything and falling in love with the fact her little hands could create something that brings people she likes together and make them smile. A seed was planted then and she watered it over the years by staying in the kitchen and close to the unity she could create from scratch. 

It was an early lesson in consistency and passion because the love never left her. Shaquay kept practicing her craft all throughout high school and her job at the grocery store in her junior and senior years in high school worked in her favor. She would walk the aisles after her shift picking up ingredients for dinner parties she would host for friends. The meals already planned in her head and written out on a checklist.

When it was time to apply for colleges, Shaquay already knew what she wanted to do. She’d been following the craft of cooking, recipe writing and collecting food magazines so she could study and day dream over the beautiful dishes. It came time to decide on colleges and she applied to Johnston & Wales University (Rhode Island) 

“It’s probably like the Harvard of culinary school. There’s basicially two. Johnston and Wales and the Culinary Institute of America. I picked Johnston and Wales because it was more of a university. It wasn’t just culinary students, it wasn’t just cooking, it was people with all different majors, there was a big student life and that wasn’t the case with CIA, the other culinary school, it was all culinary. So I knew I wanted to go to Johnston and Wales.”

Shaquay was accepted and graduated from JWU with an associates in Culinary Arts and Bachelor’s in Culinary Nutrition. Although culinary professional with similar training go on to become registered dietitians or work as chefs in hospitals or health care facilities, Shaquay knew that’s not what she wanted. 

When I asked her about what she’d planned to do after she finished school “I wanted to be the chef that makes these dishes for food magazines. I want to be the person that makes the recipes.”. and how did she know that’s what was possible her answer was simply “Because that was my interest.”

“Coming up with an idea in my head and doing trial and error. I knew that was needed to write recipes for magazines. So that what drew me to it, I knew I liked doing that.”

There wasn’t a format for Shaquay to follow then she says  “When we were in college that was the beginning of food TV. We were the last generation [that had to really figure it out]. Being a chef then wasn’t was it is now. You had to be in it for the love of it, it wasn’t as glamorous then.” She had her own vision to lead her and it was more than enough.

Throughout college she kept on collecting food magazines and imagined herself creating the dishes so beautifully photographed between the pages. 

SHAQUAY (ON PARADISE & DETOURS)

Three months before graduation Shaquay landed an internship in Anguilla. It was her inaugural travel experience, one where she was able to work at the first resort in the Caribbean to have it’s own farm pulling the herbs, peppers and onions she’d cook with right out of the earth with her own hands.  The experience and internship opened up her mind to the possibilities of her career choice and her love for traveling. At 20 years old she says, “I could see how my career and what I do could bring me to other places in the world.” and recognizing that through the opportunity to see early what other people may need so much more time to recognize is a blessing.

After the internship, she came back home and set her plan in motion and applied for every food magazine based in New York she could think of, such as Food and Wine, Gourmet and Saveur. Back then, application were typed and mailed and Shaquay’s remembers that each and every one of her applications were denied. No one was accepting anyone new. 

When she didn’t hear back she had to come up with a plan B and reached out to a contract catering company, Aramark where she’d done her sophomore internship. They had an opportunity for an 11-week entry level training role where she’d rotate her through different positions. In the end she’d get the experience needed to be placed as an entry level manager or sous chef. At the end of the end of her 11 week assignment, no positions were open in the tri-state area.

She then gets a call from Aramark. They have an 8 month was available. In Colorado. Shaquay had to make the decision to go or wait for something closer to home and when she recalls the thought process the answer that came for her was obvious and straight to the point.

“I said, yeah. I knew that once you have that level of sous chef, or chef to cuisine for me to come back to NYC I wouldn’t be a line cook. So, it was a huge job. Especially for me, just 21 years old out of college. When I come back to the city I’d be 10 steps ahead of any one else.”

It was a straight line towards her dream.

When I asked about relationships and what she had to consider before leaving New York.  

“Back then, I was all about my career. I had guys that I serial dated. But it wasn’t anything serious. I was just like I’ll see you when I see you because I was just so focused on my career. Even in college my male friends were like ‘Oh Quay is about her business… In a way it was great because it kept me away from distractions. I think about that time, that was the time when I was supposed to be out in these streets, but I wasn’t. I did think’s the opposite way.”

And when we talked about the power independence (not necessarily then but as time went on) gave her in dating and not sticking around for the nonsense she agreed wholeheartedly putting her career first early on has given her leverage every woman should have.

“The good thing is I had my career. I had my own money. I didn’t need anyone for anything.”

So, making it clear there was nothing and no one that would or could have held her back from her dream, the dream a gal been dreamin’ — off she went!

Colorado or bust!

SHAQUAY (ON REAL EXPERIENCE)

When Ms. Peacock got to Colorado, she had no idea the amount of work that would be on her. She met with the executive chef and found out that she would be in charge of an entire restaurant when she thought she would be assisting him in overseeing three. “[The Executive Chef] said he would be busy and he gave me the fine dining restaurant. He just said, it’s yours.” And that was that.

The work load and the responsibilities, the level of leadership required was not what she had planned on. It was a sink or swim type of situation and all eyes were on Shaquay. She frankly told me the deal, “I was a 21 year old black woman working with men who were twice my age, And white men by the way.” All in a fine dining restaurant, away from home in Colorado. Did she feel like she could handle it? No. But she said she learned over time.

“I learned how to delegate, be humble. I said, you know I’m not going to know everything [and sometimes] I had to learn from my staff. And that has helped me.”

Years later when she was working at the MET she says there were 5 other sous chefs and they would come to her to initiate conversations with the staff knowing Shaquay would know how to get it across with no push back. Her experience in Colorado helped her learn how to learn (again) and really early how to manage people and give and earn respect.

“I feel like once I got to the point where they saw I knew my stuff then the respect came. I never had to ask for it. I didn’t have to sit anyone down and say, ‘OK you have to.’ Once they saw she’s good at what she does and she knows what she’s talking about and she’s nice to me, yeah, I get their respect.”

In the process she learned and she was never above rolling up her sleeves and getting her hands dirty working every station and learning from her team to her personal goal of mastery. It makes Shaquay feel good knowing that she’s never asking anyone she works with to do something she doesn’t want or know how to do, she’ll never pass the responsibility or the hard work. Seeing her in the trenches working with her team and not just delegating let’s them know she’s a part of it. At the end of the day cooking and being in the kitchen is what she loves.

“No, you’re never going to hear that. Not only can she do it, but she can do it better than me.”

After her assignment in Colorado, at only 24 years old, as planned Shaquay could officially call herself a chef. “You are only a chef in terms of leadership in the kitchen and you work your way towards that.”says Shaquay. “And when I worked in the kitchen it was evident. I could work every station.”

The flexibility her detour gave her in getting the experiences she needed to round herself out is the purpose of journeying.

“If I only had experience in writing menus, that’s totally different from someone who has to prep those menus out and then that’s totally different from having to execute those menus the day of the party. You have to know every step of what you are doing from start to finish. From the idea to when it goes in front of the guest.”

Shaqauy’s Top 3 Tips for Aspiring Chefs:

1. Be flexible

Your job is ultimately at requests of clients and customers. You may not agree with what is being requested however you are in the hospitality business to serve. Also being flexible goes with your schedule as well. We work mainly when the rest of the world is off. Be prepared to miss holidays, weekends and dinners with loved ones in this industry.

2. Always be willing to learn & be humble.

There is always something new to learn wether its a new cuisine, technique, cooking method, plate presentation etc. The moment you feel like you know it all- that is the moment your career will suffer.

3. Be prepared to WORK for it.

Shaquay says many new chefs underestimate the physical requirments of the job. “There are days you can be on your feet for 12, 13 hours or more. You are constantly picking things up, moving boxes, bending and stretching your body in ways that you usually don’t. “

SHAQUAY (ON CHEF #SKILLS)

1. Being Organized:

Much more than cooking, you’ll need to perfect this skill and engage it when ordering food, writing menus, creating prep sheets and scheduling staff.

2. Leadership:

Leading a kitchen of cooks means working with different backgrounds and in some cases, different ages and genders. Learning how to talk to staff is key to getting a job done. You’ll also need to become a teacher, training staff on how to cook and present dishes.

SHAQUAY (ON STAYING FRESH)

Johnston & Wales was her only main training. Shaquay graduated with an A.S. in Culinary Arts and B.S in Culinary Nutrition (Minor: Leadership Science & Biological Sciences.) and she has’t gone on to pursue an advanced degree. Maybe in the future she says and notes that many people with a degree in culinary nutrition go on to obtain a Masters in Nutrition and/or RD Registered Dietician. But Shaquay says “getting an advanced degree is not necessary. You can have a career as a chef without any degree. The only thing that having a degree does is fast tracks you into a management role and gives you a basic knowledge of culinary.”

“I do so many different things within food so I feel like that’s what keeps me fresh. There was a time where I said to myself, you know what Shaquay, I really wanted to do the managazines and even do food photography so I went and took some classes for that. Every now and again I’ll take some classes and then keep up with my regular job, be a private chef, write menus. I [practice] every day so I don’t lose it.”

To keep her perspective and skills fresh Shaquay has taken food critic, recipe and food writing courses and has even been published. And staying fresh of course means she had some time to place top 20 in a national food photography competition and produced commission photography for a café.

“You can take a class in everything, especially living in New York. You don’t have to be a full-time student at the school. I used to go to ICE. They have a ton of classes you can just pick up.”

And while traveling she finds local classes. She’s taken classes in Mexico and Thailand and Portugal. And when she’s cooking abroad Shaquay says she loves to do the research and take inspiration from the local cuisine to adapt into her cooking.

How is she landing these amazing opportunities?

Mainly, networking and staying connected.

SHAQUAY (ON Connections)

Cooking abroad, experiential plays, a yachts in the British Virgin Islands. It’s hard to believe that Shaquay has yet to apply to be a private chef for anyone, but she hasn’t. There’s a common theme to the progression her career has taken over the last few years and that’s authentic connection.

After Colorado. She wasn’t hired for anything less than a sous chef just as she planned. After working at 2 restaurants in the city, “shady owners an long hours” and so so pay packaged in a 14 hour work day had Shaquay “over it” after only 2 restaurants.

Knowing what she didn’t she moved on to become a corporate chef, placed by the same company that placed her at the start of her career in Colorado. The corporate chef gigs landed her a sous chef role at the Met Museum and then she went on to lead the executive dining room at the New York Times where she prepared meals for very hungry very important people.

Meanwhile, Shaquay’s old boss from a restaurant job 6 years ago was looking for a replacement for a job she had to leave and needed someone amazing. She was a private chef for a Jewish family who kept Kosher. She called Shaquay who left an impression on her.

Back at the New York Times Shaquay says she was managing a staff of over 65 people and at times working 5-6 days a week. Her old boss was presenting her with an opportunity to work 3 days a week making more than she did in corporate. She went for it!

That decision, in 2012 was the decision that began her career as a private chef and one that has given her so much flexibility in her professional and personal life - but it didn’t come without a little bit of fear.

“I was really nervous to quit. Because I was leaving benefits and a stable check. But I said, let me just do this.”

Working in a kosher kitchen put her degree in culinary nutrition to use and forced her to think outside the box and consistently challenge herself to create and prepare unique meals for a family. She now has 3 steady private clients she works with and all have been referrals from connections she’s made.

SHAQUAY (ON EARNING FREEDOM)

The flexibility of working 3 days a week gave her the time to go into freelance catering where she schedules herself in between her standing clients. In March, she worked the tennis open in Miami where she was the private chef for Lacoste. Being self employed has given her the ability to work at a winery for a month during harvest season after meeting a woman who owned a winery. She’s living her fairytale.

“Literally before going I worked like crazy to save up money before I went. I always wanted to do it, I don’t have a reason not to. So, I’m going to do it.”

And while all of that is impressive it’s the doors that show up on her journey that she gets to open with keys that are her personality and work ethic and her fearlessness to walk through them that give me so much peace in being the architect of my own life.

SHAQUAY (ON SHAQUAY)

It’s one of my very favorite questions to ask anyone that I speak to, what they’ve learned about themselves on their journey. The answer is always perspective from me, it’s usually confirmation that we are all parallel pathing, trying to figure it out. Most of us with consistency, will! When I asked Shaquay and got her answer I had to smile to myself because her path is confirmation for me and all of us that we are learning along the way, and that’s refreshing to hear that from someone who has always known who they wanted to be — and done it.

“I don’t know if it comes with age but now I feel like I am more confident, it’s easier for me to say what I’m worth and the things that I know and not be, how would you say, ashamed. I was always very bashful. I guess it’s with time and my womanhood but… I am a bad ass. I am really good at what I do. And now, I’m owning it.”

Yessss Shaquay! OWN IT!

Before we wrapped Shaquay took a moment to reflect and be transparent about the hard times that pushed her forward. I call it &GoodGrief, it’s something I refer to as “planting seeds with grief, watering them with tears.” I know first hand pain can be a rocket trip to putting things into perspective, if you acknowledge the reality of it. A car accident (a tree fell on top of her car at a red light) left Shaquay’s internship paradise partner turned best friend, paralyzed and gave her momentum to live out her dream. “Seeing that.” she said and took a pause, because what else is there to say. Shaquay says she still in a way played it safe up until her own accident four years ago gave her another and much more personal reality check. A pinch. This is real life.

4 years ago, 6 blocks away from home Shaquay was hit by a car while she was crossing the street. It was a hit and run and she was knocked into the air and unconscious. A friend who saw the entire thing play thought she was dead, that there was no way she coulnd’t be. And the detective working the case confirmed it saying he couldn’t believe he was talking to the same person he saw in the video. She says to this day she still has no idea who hit her.

Now, she does all the things that make her happy.

Whatever you want to do she says, “Why not?” and that’s the theme in Shaquay’s life, one that her journey reminds her (and us!) of at every stage, anything is possible when you see it, claim it, work for and earn it and honor each and every reminder that this is yours.

6 stitches are a constant reminder, and they won’t ever fully heal she says, “but I’m here.” waking up daily into a dream manifested.

HUNGRY?

While you’re thinking about the dreams you want to manifest try Shaquay’s “Chocolate Coconut Mousse” recipe made entirely out of avocados.

Don’t forget to let me know what you’ve learned from Shaquay’s journey and how you’re applying those lessons to your own.